Amish Country Popcorn Business Deemed 'Target for Terrorists'

[Jcrowley]

How US merchants of fear sparked a $130bn bonanza

The homeland security market has an army of lobbyists working for its interests in Washington

Paul Harris in New York
Sunday September 10, 2006
The Observer


Brian Lehman's farm lies down a gravel road, between two fields of swaying corn as tall as a man. It is in the middle of Indiana's rural heartland in a landscape populated mostly by bearded Amish farmers and their wives. Horse-drawn buggies are more common than cars, roads are littered with horse manure and fields are worked by hand. It feels distant in time and place from big cities such as New York or Washington, or even Indianapolis, two hours' drive south.

Yet Lehman's farm, from which he runs a small popcorn business, was recently declared a target for terrorists. State security officials included it in a list of assets considered potential victims of attack, most likely by Islamic fanatics. That was a surprise to Lehman, who had previously never considered Amish Country Popcorn on the front line in the war on terror. But he reckons he knows why he was chosen: 'It's the money.'

Five years after the World Trade Centre fell, a highly lucrative industry has been born in America - homeland security. There has been a goldrush as companies scoop up government contracts and peddle products that they say are designed to make America safe.

The figures are stunning. Seven years ago there were nine companies with federal homeland security contracts. By 2003 it was 3,512. Now there are 33,890. The money is huge. Since 2000, $130bn (£70bn) of contracts have been dished out. By 2015 annual federal spending on the industry could be $170bn.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1868912,00.html

[Dr.Phool]

1. Orville Redenbacher is a terrist!!!

Quick torture him.

[Berry Cool]

2. Heard about this on Olbermann a long time ago.

Yep, Amish Country Popcorn...those terrorists want to bomb those people back to the days of the horse and...

...um, er, guys, you need to rethink this plan.

[Roland99]

3. And about 0.1% of those billions will actually have any effect on defense

Add in the Iraq deficit spending funds and we're near $500 billion WASTED!

[izzie]

4. It is a great way to make money. Cash in on fear.

Just look at our police force now. They are starting to look like the army. Big money in those things. I am sure our local county police in York County Maine needs a nice new tank just in case. I am betting the farmer has land that could be made money off of also. Few new 5000 sq. ft. houses could go up. Then popcorn is a bag worry in this part of the country. I wake up at night wondering just what corp. will control the market.:scared: :scared: :scared: It is like living in the state hospital for the criminal insane in this country now.

[Jcrowley]

6. John Ashcroft

From Article:

"Now he lobbies and consults on behalf of technology companies seeking to capitalise on the new powers. His clients include firms such as ChoicePoint, which gathers data on individuals and sells it, and Innova, which makes software for surveillance drones and robots."

"In turning from powerful official to powerful lobbyist, Ashcroft is a brazen example of what critics call Washington's 'revolving door' - a process whereby officials leave public service for the private sector, exploiting their old contacts for commerce. 'It's become the norm that senior officials open up their own shops in their old sectors. It can be incredibly lucrative for them,' said Alex Knott, project manager for Lobby Watch, part of the Centre for Public Integrity."

[izzie]

7. We seem to have always had these two types

Ones that go into govt. to service and ones that go into govt. to get what they can from it. Our founders of course wanted people to service a short time and leave but one has to recall how long they them self stayed in govt. and human nature will always have the ones that want some thing out of it. I really do not care what either type does if they are truthful and not crooks. One can hardly trust these far right Christian crooks. I do not know where we have found so many church people who seem to be such crooks, I swear.

[peacetalksforall]

5. Create an enemy - make billions. Create enemies - make trillions.